Locals Ask Pm Not To Appeal Pollution Case

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MAP TA PHUT

Locals ask PM not to appeal pollution case

By: APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Published: 6/03/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Rayong villagers are calling on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, as chairman of the National Environment Board, not to appeal the Administrative Court's ruling to designate Map Ta Phut a pollution control zone. An NEB meeting chaired by Mr Abhisit is set for March 16, when the Map Ta Phut matter would be tabled for consideration.

The villagers are planning a rally in Bangkok at the NEB's meeting venue to press the board not to appeal the case and step up measures to reduce pollution in the area.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1281...-pollution-case

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EDITORIAL

Trading health for profits isn't worth it

By The Nation

Published on March 7, 2009

Though industries are screaming foul over the Map Ta Phut ruling, for once the lives of local residents have been given a higher priority

The decision by the Administrative Court in Rayong to rule in favour of people living close to the industrial estate of Map Ta Phut serves as a warning for industries and the government to place more importance on controlling the toxic waste that the industrial sector might be creating.

Earlier this week, the court ruled to designate Map Ta Phut a pollution-control zone after residents complained about the illnesses caused by the careless disposal of waste by factories in the area.

Sutthi Atchasai, a coordinator of the villagers' network, said: "This is the first sign of success. The people's network will monitor the implementation of pollution measures and will ask related agencies to review the third-phase petrochemical expansion and see if development projects in the area would increase pollution levels."

After the ruling, industrial firms and the business sector voiced concerns that tighter environment controls could affect investment in this heavily industrialised area.

Supachai Watanangura, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries' Petrochemical Industry Club, said the ruling would definitely scare away new investors, who may shift their cash to Singapore, Vietnam or Malaysia because they would not be sure about the licensing procedure, especially with the local communities' close participation.

The concern is understandable. Of course, the setting up of the plants and factories in Map Ta Phut has led to economic prosperity and the creation of thousands of jobs, but some of these businesses have also had an undesirable impact on the communities.

The court in Rayong issued this ruling in the same week that the Chiang Mai Administrative Court demanded that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) pay compensation to victims of pollution from the Mae Mo power plant in Lampang.

These court decisions clearly show that communities are becoming more aware of the fact that they do have a say in protecting themselves and their environment.

A preliminary finding shows that from 1997 to 2001, people in Map Ta Phut had three times more of a chance of developing leukaemia than residents in other areas in the same province. The Map Ta Phut people felt the water they were consuming was not safe thanks to the substandard waste treatment by some factories in the area.

Luckily, the court ruled to protect people suffering at the hands of careless factories and sent a clear message to businesses that they could not get away with operating without any proper waste-treatment measures.

Map Ta Phut is one of the heavily invested zones for large industries such as petrochemicals and energy, and houses several major companies such as PTT, which is planning to expand in the near future. Some executives interviewed this past week said they thought the court's ruling might delay their investment decisions.

However, the ruling will end up being beneficial for the factories in the long term. First of all, it will open a channel for people's participation in industries located nearby.

Factories with high-standard waste treatment will have nothing to worry about and will be given a chance to befriend the local community. Doing business in a hostile environment can be quite difficult, after all.

In addition, the authorities could ensure that the pollution-control measures are effective and fair to both the communities and the factories. These measures have to be imposed in such a way that corrupt officials do not take advantage of any loopholes.

The government has marked more than 10 areas in 12 provinces as pollution-control zones, but the results have not been satisfactory. Though the government, private sector and the municipality offices were jointly responsible for controlling toxic waste in the areas, the pollution remained high.

The ruling on Map Ta Phut shows that the public can count on the rule of law to protect them from the harmful effects of industry. Before this, many people suffered quietly, thinking they did not have a proper channel to voice their concerns. Their cases only drew public attention after the damage was done.

Of course, industrial development has measurable advantages, such as adding more money to the system, but insufficient controls could lead to long-term negative impacts beyond the realms of remedy.

This ruling should serve as a lesson for Thais that profiteering alone is no longer acceptable. Corporations have to pay close attention to the negative impacts they might be having on the communities and how they could affect the next generation.

Otherwise, we will have to ask ourselves whether the money earned through hazardous means is really worthwhile.

Source: The Nation